In pictures: The forgotten 'open-air schools' of the 1930s built to combat tuberculosis

A series of incredible images have revealed the forgotten open-air schools of the 1930s that aimed to battle tuberculosis.

The pictures, revealed on the website Retronaut, show pupils at several open air schools around London taking part in lessons, gardening, and taking exercise as part of the open air school regime.

The images show pupils wrapped in blankets for warmth in autumn and winter, and clad in minimum clothing during the summer months.

England’s first open-air school opened in 1907 and the schools gained popularity in the 1930s when tuberculosis was rife. By 1937, 96 open-air day schools and 53 residential schools had been set up across the country.

Children thought to be at risk of developing the disease – identified by stunted growth and mental ‘dullness’ – were sent to the schools where the regime included vigorous exercise, rest periods during the day and a wholesome diet with plenty of meat, dairy products and vegetables.

Outdoor subjects included horticulture, bee keeping, natural history, woodwork and meteorology, with everything carried out out in the open.

The schools started to decline in the 1950s as the introduction of the BCG vaccine and wider availability of antibiotics, along with slum clearances, the Clean Air Act and the NHS, helped radically reduce the threat of tuberculosis.